Tehran: Women appearing in TV programmes will not be allowed to wear make-up because it is against Islamic law, or sharia.
"Make-up by women during television programmes is
illegal and against Islamic sharia law ... There should not be
a single case" of a woman wearing make-up during a programme,
Ezatollah Zarghami was quoted as saying by the reformist
Etemad newspaper.

Zarghami, a former member of the elite Revolutionary
Guards who has been re-appointed by supreme leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, also ordered that women guests should
"preferably" be hosted by women.

Speaking at a conference of network directors, he also
called for cutting down on music during programmes and urged
his staff to take a cue from Western action movies, which have
"excellent and calm music."

"I do not mean that we should become like them, but we
should use positive points. Therefore we (should) put on the
agenda the reduction and refining of music," he said.

"As of today, you in the production department should
launch new supervisory methods ... I do not want to tell you
to filter, but you should be vigilant that nothing
inappropriate happens," Zarghami said.

Zarghami told directors they should also prohibit
"repulsive jokes" between men and women on television or
radio, Etemad and Fars news agency quoted him as saying.